The Korea Environment Institute (KEI) participated in the 16th annual meeting of the Integrated Assessment Modeling Consortium. The consortium was established in response to a call from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to lead the integrated assessment modeling that could be employed by climate modelers. Three experts from KEI attended the meeting held from November 14-18 in Venice, Italy.

During the Sectoral 1 Session, Dr. Hyungsik Choi, a Research Fellow from the Division for Climate and Energy, delivered a presentation on assessing the economic benefits of Northeast Asian grid interconnections in achieving net zero scenarios, with a focus on the electricity sector. Dr. Choi emphasized the necessity for ongoing research in connection with carbon neutrality scenarios, highlighting limitations in assessing renewable energy volatility, grid connection, energy storage, and sector coupling in IAM.

Dr. Choi, Research Fellow from the Division for Climate and Energy.

Dr. Yong-Gun Kim, Director General of the Climate and Air Quality Research Group, discussed the economic implications of net-zero carbon pricing for Korea during his presentation. The focus was on employing an integrated model approach linking top-down and bottom-up analyses. Dr. Kim highlighted that a moderate carbon price could not only foster economic growth but also contribute to climate mitigation. He emphasized the importance of expanding carbon pricing by enhancing market flexibility and extending the application range of the emissions trading system (ETS).

Dr. Kim, Director General of the Climate and Air Quality Research Group. 

During the Policy Session held on November 16, Dr. Jeongeun Lee, a Research Fellow from the Division for Climate and Energy, delivered a presentation on the equity and effectiveness of subsidies for e-mobility. The focus was on the integration of CGE and DC models. Dr. Lee highlighted that individuals with higher incomes reap more significant benefits from electric vehicle (EV) subsidies, and emphasized that differentiated subsidies could result in negative impacts on GDP, as well as household incomes. 

Dr. Lee, Research Fellow from the Division for Climate and Energy.